Fire-escape.



No. 764,187. PATENTED JULY 5, 1904, s. J. GILMORB @L W. s. PERRY.

PIRE ESCAPE.

APPLICATIONHLED 0011s, 190s.

UNITED STATES Patented July 5, 1904.

PATENT OEEICE.

SILAS J'. GILMORE AND VILLIAM S.l PERRY, OF BURKMERE, SOUTH DAKOTA.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 764,187, dated July 5,1904.

Application filed October 13, 1903.

To @ZZ whom, it IIe/Ly concern:

Be it known that we, SILAs J. GILMORE and WILLIAM S. PERRY, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Burkmere, in the county of Faulk, Stateof South Dakota, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements inFire- Escapes; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

This invention relates to fire-escapes; and it has for its object toprovide a mechanism of this nature which will be secured to the exteriorof the building in such manner that under normal conditions it willserve as a balcony and which when properly loaded will descend bygravity, while its speed of descent may be governed at will.

A further object of the invention is to provide a construction embodyinga car so arranged that after it has descended and its load has beenremoved it will ascend and its ascent may be arrested at any point.

In the drawings forming a portion of this specification and in whichlike numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the several views,Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the tire-escape with the car orbalcony in partlylowered position. Fig. 2 is a vertical section throughthe hre-escape, including one of the upriglits, the balcony being inpartly-lowered position. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through thebrake-shaft. Fig. 4 is a detail view of a brake-lever and its latchmechanism.

Refer-ing now to the drawings, the present invention comprises a car,which in the prescnt illustration is shown in the form of a veranda, andthis car is held normally at the upper limit of its movement and inposition to be entered from a window of a building upon which thefire-escape is used. The car is slidably connected with uprights, andwhen a weight is placed on the ear it descends. The ear comprises sills10 and 1,1 and connecting end pieces 12 and 13, which are mutuallyconnected to forni a base-frame, which supports corner-posts 14, havingrails 15, connected thereto and to which rails and the end pieces SerialNo. 176,917, (No inodelJ Iuprights are attached laterally-spacedanglebars 22, having their flanges disposed toward each other, so thatcut-under rails are provided which present guide-grooves 23, In

which are received the side edges of the vertical members 24 ofbrackets, comprising also 1 horizontal members 25 and diagonal braces26, connecting the vertical and horizontal members. These brackets maybe slid vertically from end to end of their respective upriglits orposts. At the upper and lower ends, respectively, of each upright orpost are mounted sprocket-wheels 27 and 28, the axles of which aredisposed within the uprights or posts, so that portions of theperipheries of the sprocket-Wheels may extend forwardly through theslots 29 between the angle-bar 22. A sprocket-chain 30 is engaged withthe sprocket-wheels in each post, and the ends of the chain areconnected to the upper and lower ends of the vertical member 24 of thesupporting-bracket. Within each post is a counterbalanced weight 31,which is attached to the sprocket-chain therein, and thesecounterbalanced weights are so arranged and are of suchy weight as tooverbalance the car and its supporting-bracket, so that the brackets,with the car thereon, are held normally at the upper ends of the post.The counterbalanceweights are preferably so made as to not onlyoverbalance the car or balcony, but also the weight of a man thereon, sothat when the car or balcony is'in lowered position a fireman may enterit, and if the car or balconybe then released it will ascend with itssingle passenger. When two or more passengers are on the car or balcony,it will descend against the action of the counterbalance-weights.

To hold the car against descent until it is properly loaded and also tostop the car at different points of its descent, a brake mechanism isprovided. The brake mechanism consists of a rock-shaft 32, which ismounted in suitable bearings 33 on the front faces of the bases of theposts, and at the ends of this shaft are levers 34, having latchmechanisms 35, which cooperate with notched segments 36 to hold therock-shaft at different points of its oscillation. The latch mechanismsfor the levers comprise bolts 37, which are slidably mounted on thelevers and to which are connected rods 38, which are attached at theirupper ends to the levers 39, pivoted to the ears 40 on the levers 34.When the levers 39 are swung upwardly and rearwardly, the rods 38 movepast the pivots of the levers 39 and are held against return movement.The lower sprockets 28 are provided with brake-drums 41, and on theshaft 32 are brake-shoes 42 for engagement with the brake-drums. Withthis arrangement it will be seen that by manipulating the hand-levers 34the brake-shoes may be swung' into and out of engagement with thebrake-drums and caused to bear against the brake-drum with varyingpressures, so that the car may be released and permitted to move ineither direction, or it may be held against movement at any point of itsascent or descent and that its speed of movement may bc retard ed.

In practice modifications of the specific construction shown may be madeand any suitable materials and proportions may be used for the variousparts without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is A fire-escape comprising hollow posts having verticalguideways on their front faces, brackets slidably engaged With theguideways of the posts, a car carried by the brackets, sprocket-wheelsmounted in the upper and lower ends of each post, the lower sprocketsbeing provided with brake-drums, a chain engaged with the sprockets ineachlpost and attached at its ends to the upper and lower ends of thecorresponding brackets, a eounterbak ance in each post connected to thechain therein, a rock-shaft mounted transversely of the bases of theposts, brake-shoes carried by the rock-shaft in position to engage thebrake drums respectively, when the shaft is rocked, means for rockingthe shaft, and means for holding' the shaft in diHerent positions .ofits rocking movement.

In testimony whereof We aHiX our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

Witnesses:

PETER HARKINsoN, LESLIE M. PERRY.

